Online Gambling Boom Sparks Require Ban In Philippines

Women, children and bad among victims


Lawmakers propose constraints or total ban


Church lambastes 'moral and social crisis'


By Mariejo Ramos


MANILA, July 25 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Before helping fellow gamblers quit the live roulette wheel or give up the splendor of a royal flush in poker, Filipino Reagan Praferosa battled his own addiction - a passion that practically cost him his life.


Enthralled by the "big-shot identity" that featured early casino victories in Las Vegas and later on in Manila, Praferosa went on to lose 50 million pesos ($873,515) in 7 years.


He was jailed for theft to cover the debt, sent to rehab centers and then attempted to take his own life.


"Gambling is a psychological illness. It just causes three places: prison, institution or death," said Praferosa, who developed a support group in 2011 for Filipinos with a betting dependency.


The group, handled by 5 individuals, has helped more than 300 people with online daily conferences. Its members are as young as 13 and as old as 72.


Lawmakers and the Catholic Church worry that dependency is skyrocketing, with ever more gamblers drawn to online games, their need accelerated by social-media advertisements and e-wallet platforms.


"The variety of callers we received is 10 times more than normal. Before, callers were controlled by guys. Now they ´ re dominated by mothers ... kids too," said Praferosa.


Several legislators have filed expenses seeking restrictions on online gambling, such as prohibiting the usage of e-wallets that allow bigger, quicker bets. Others want an overall ban.


Online gaming has removed rapidly in the Philippines, with government profits from taxes and fees paid by local operators for the very first quarter approximated at 51 billion pesos, ($892 million) according to news reports pointing out data from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the government's gaming regulator.


It represented about half of the federal government ´ s total gaming incomes so far this year.


A minimum of 80 electronic gaming operators have licences in the Philippines, according to PAGCOR.


Gian Samson, a PAGCOR worker, said he backs a straight-out ban, claiming the human threats far outweigh the financial benefits.


"Online betting must be stopped instantly, and we ought to identify what is legal or illegal. It ´ s not contributing anything to our society," said Samson, a representative of PAGCOR's employee association.


The chairman of PAGCOR, established in 1977 to manage video gaming and stop prohibited casinos, turns down a total restriction and rather favors stricter policy.


GROWING PROBLEM


Former president Rodrigo Duterte ushered in online gambling in 2016, opening the door to primarily Chinese-owned firms that catered to consumers outside the country.


President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reversed track and enforced a restriction on the outside entities in 2015, citing a "severe abuse" of laws by the industry.


However, domestic digital variations of conventional gambling establishment games, such as fruit machine, poker and roulette, are still permitted and can be accessed from mobile phones.


While online betting is legal, Samson stated regulators have stopped working to restrict the industry or control who can access these video games, as is mandated.


"They are offering Filipinos simple and hassle-free access to gambling. In just a tap of a button, you can diminish your life savings," he stated.


Players can join a game, then withdraw all their profits through popular e-payment apps that even children can use, he said.


DigiPlus Interactive, operator of video gaming sites BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone, stated banning licensed operators would "drive players toward prohibited, uncontrolled sites with no safeguards" as well as struck some 50,000 workers in the sector.


"We are open to developing and improving wherever needed. If there are brand-new standards to meet, or better methods to safeguard players, we will act quickly and responsibly," DigiPlus Chair Eusebio Tanco said in a statement.


RECOVERY


The church has actually decried online gaming as a "ethical and social crisis" and called for a restriction.


"It is now a public health crisis in our society, simply like drug dependency, alcohol addiction and other kinds of dependency. It ruins not only the person however also their households," Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, stated in a pastoral letter.


He stated online gambling injures bad Filipinos who have almost no income or cost savings and young people who are already having problem with the expense of education as well as other .


In one Facebook recovery group with more than 25,000 members, one user stated he tried to stop by setting up an online betting obstructing app called Gamban but failed to suppress his addiction.


Gamban, a software provider based in Britain, can be installed on personal gadgets to block online gaming sites.


Gamban creator Matt Zarb-Cousin stated the Philippines is the app ´ s third-highest source of new signups, after Brazil and Britain, showing a rise from about 26,000 visitors in 2024 to more than 32,000 in the very first half of 2025.


"It may be driven by the occurrence of online betting, legal and illegal," stated Zarb-Cousin.


He said online gambling establishments are connected with higher rates of dependency than conventional gambling, and about 80% of Gamban users play primarily slots.


"Everyone wants to make better lives on their own, and betting is something that can totally ruin that in a very brief space of time," said the former betting addict.


In countries such as Britain, the Netherlands and Norway, Gamban is totally free. In the Philippines, it costs $3.49 a month.


"There need to be responsibilities put on gambling operators to protect consumers adequately. And in my ideal world, there would not be as many individuals requiring Gamban," he stated.


"Regulation, if done effectively, can prevent or at least reduce online betting substantially." (Reporting by Mariejo Ramos. Editing by Lyndsay Griffiths and Ellen Wulfhorst. The Thomson Reuters Foundation is the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters. Visit https://www.context.news)